Maintaining Compliance with 911 Regulations

Maintaining Compliance with 911 Regulations | TelWare Blog
Mar 26, 2021

Most of us learn from a fairly young age that, in the instance of a true emergency, there is a simple step we can take to seek help: Just pick up a phone and dial 911.

Actually, it may not be quite as simple as that. For example, did you know that there are laws regulating your workplace phone and communication systems, ensuring that any and all employees can access 911 quickly and straightforwardly?

It’s important to know not just what these regulations entail, but also what steps your company can take to maintain compliance.

Maintaining Compliance with 911 Regulations | TelWare Blog

What the Law Says

 

There are two FCC provisions that bear mentioning here.

Kari’s Law

According to Kari’s Law, multi-line phone systems are required to directly dial into 911 centers, without the need to enter a prefix number to get an outside line.

Ray Baum’s Act

Section 506 of Ray Baum’s Act requires that multi-line phone systems provide information such as street address and room number, adequately identifying the location of the calling party. Additionally, this law stipulates that an emergency notification be sent to any relevant on-site personnel.

The Risks of Non-Compliance

 

You might wonder: What are the risks associated with non-compliance, whether to Kari’s Law or to Section 506 of Ray Baum’s Act?

Maintaining Compliance with 911 Regulations | TelWare Blog

Failing to comply with either of these regulations may result in some stiff penalties, including:

- Daily fines for every day that you’re non-compliant with FCC guidelines.

- Legal fines that can top out at $10,000, with other potential penalties added on.

- Significant legal hassle and headache for your business as you try to sort out these compliance issues.

How to Ensure Compliance

 

The bottom line for businesses is that maintaining FCC compliance with your multi-use phone system can spare you from a lot of costly legal penalties… and on top of that, it’s simply the right thing to do so that the people who work in your facility can access life-saving care in the event of a true emergency.

At TelWare, our e911 communication portal is designed specifically to keep your business compliant with these FCC guidelines, and to make emergency care as accessible as can be for the employees and/or customers in your building. We’d love to tell you more about e911, and to let you know how it can solve some of the most common FCC compliance conundrums. Reach out to schedule a consultation with TelWare.

To learn more about staying current with current FCC regulations, contact TelWare at 1.800.637.3148 or email us at sales@telware.com. TelWare is a national leader in the installation of voice, video, data, and unified communications solutions.

Get These Articles Delivered Right To Your Inbox.

Blog Signup
Name
Name
First
Last